The Stanford Cardinal are on quite a roll - they won the Pac-12 last year, and have taken three of the last four conference titles. When you think of where
this program was not too long ago when Jim Harbaugh took over, that is truly a remarkable accomplishment. Now, though, they are no longer the plucky
upstart, but rather the hunted favorites. Add to that a division that isn't getting any easier - Oregon might not be quite as scary as they were at their
peak, but Washington is seriously on the rise - and the pressure in Palo Alto is significant.

Can this team, which faces a lot of changes this year, live up to the challenge and again prevail? Or will time catch up to them and force them back down
the pecking order?

There is good news and bad news for Coach David Shaw and company. Thankfully, the good news is very good - in Christian McCaffrey they have perhaps the
most explosive and dangerous player in all of college football. The running back can do it all, and he makes this offense explosive just by his presence.
That's a very good thing, because the bad news is that the team has a whole lot of challenges to overcome on that offense. They also face some challenges
on defense, as we will see in the next section. The ability of this team to reload and regroup without taking a step backward - and when facing a pretty
tough schedule - will dictate how the season goes.

Key Additions and Departures

Starting at the top, the team faces a big challenge in replacing the very competent Kevin Hogan at quarterback. In Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns they have
two guys who were very successful in high school, but they have combined to throw just 10 passes at Stanford. Chryst could have a slight edge in the race,
but regardless of who comes out on top the team will need him to be effective early on. To make matters more difficult, the winner of that battle will have
to work behind a line that features three new starters and is without the incredibly good Josh Garnett, who is up the road now with the 49ers. That isn't
ideal for the confidence of the raw starting QB, or potentially for the all-World running back that will be very heavily relied upon to carry this offense.
Luckily, the program has a tradition of offensive line excellence, and the receiving corps is in good shape, so it isn't necessarily all doom and gloom
here.

Defensively there are some hurdles to overcome as well. All three position groups have lost players, but the biggest hit is that Blake Martinez, the
linebacker who led the team and the conference in tackles, now plays for the Packers. They have some players at linebacker, but guys will certainly have to
step up to fill that void. The depth at defensive line is much more of a concern as they just don't have as many reliable players as they would like to
have at this moment. Harrison Phillips, for example, will have to carry much more of the burden than is ideal at nose tackle given that he is coming off of
a season lost to an ACL injury. The secondary had the least turnover and gets an interesting boost as former starting safety Zach Hoffpauir returns to the
team after a Michael Jordan-esque mid-career break to play minor league baseball.

Stanford Cardinal Schedule Analysis

Let's not mince words - this schedule is really tough. After what should be a fairly straightforward opener hosting Kansas State followed by a bye week,
the Cardinal launch into a five-game stretch as tough as any team will face this season. They start by hosting USC, a team that may actually be ready to
live up to the hype and avoid crushing the dreams of their supporters. Then it's a two-game trip that takes them to the homes of two likely ranked
opponents - first UCLA and then Washington. Next up is a home game against the quirky and always dangerous Washington State. Finally, they head on the road
to South Bend to play Notre Dame, which has the potential to be a Top 10 team. That is a gauntlet. The second half of the season is easier, but not at all
easy - they have to make road trips to Arizona, Oregon and Cal. You would have to work hard to find a schedule any more brutal than that.

2016-17 Stanford Betting Odds and Trends

Bovada
has Stanford at +2000, which ties them with Notre Dame as the ninth choice to win the national title. That makes them the highest-ranked member of the
Pac-12. Not surprisingly, then, they are the +300 favorite to win the conference, ahead of UCLA at +350 and Washington at +400, and the +160 favorite to
win the Pac-12 North ahead of Washington at +175. BetOnline has their season win total set
at eight games, with the "over" solidly favored at -145.

Last year they were champions of the Pac-12 and among the champions for bettors as well - they were a stellar 10-4 ATS on the season. They were a less
useful but still profitable 8-6 on the over when betting the total.

2016-17 Stanford Predictions and College Football Picks

I am not optimistic. I love McCaffrey - how could you have eyes and not? - but I don't know that he has the support he needs around him to salvage this
offense. Those five games after the opener are just a brutal stretch to break in a new quarterback and a new line. Washington is going to be very hungry,
and they have more experience in key spots - and an explosive running back of their own. This team will certainly not embarrass themselves, but I just see
too many tough spots on the schedule to have faith in their chances of repeating in the division or conference. I see no value at all in betting on them.

Free Play from Doc's Sports.
#427 Take Atlanta Falcons +1
over Pittsburgh Steelers
(Sunday 4 pm) The Steelers
were a big underdog last
week
and beat the Giants
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Atlanta dominated much of
their week 1 game against
Miami before a late rally by
the Dolphins scoring the
last 13 points to win by
three points. Atlanta had
three quarterbacks in that
game complete 100% of their
passes and they will win
this game straight
up. Now we see an
overreaction for the line in
this game Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta dominated much of
their week 1 game against
Miami before a late rally by
the Dolphins scoring the
last
13 points to win by three
points. Atlanta had three
quarterbacks in that game
complete 100% of their
passes
and they will win this game
straight-up. Do not miss out
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